Mlini – The Mlini EP (Sushi & Anoushka Records)

Charlie Ashcroft | Sunday, 06 September 2009

Possibly named after a coastal resort in Croatia, London-based four-piece Mlini illustrate a wide range of influences on this debut EP for Sushi and Anoushka.

Opening track 'Monkey Say Monkey Do' proves to be an enjoyable crossover between Pavement-esque rhythm changes and Britpop-tinged fretwork, while EP highlight 'Go Back To Texas' straddles the divide between post-punk and southern American-style melancholia rather wonderfully.

It is a shame then that the other tracks on offer on the EP fail to live up to the high standards which Mlini have set with 'Monkey…' and '…Texas'.

'7 Feet Below' and 'Long John Silver' both have the band sailing in more restrained, low-key waters, only to end up being pretty forgettable in comparison to their faster-paced counterparts on the record. It's all well and good going for a quieter, more stripped-down approach, but more often than not, such a method needs to be consolidated by songs of substance in order to impress and ultimately, stick in the memory.

If this were a two-track debut single, plaudits would be flying off the page, but the fact that Mlini have plumped for a wider cross-section of their catalogue for a first release, naturally leaves them open to more criticism if certain tracks do not cut the mustard.

Although there is clearly some great potential here, along with some admirably-executed harmonies in places, these alone cannot hide the reality that The Mlini EP is an inconsistent collection.